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There
have been nearly 200
Sisters of the
Holy Family of Nazareth
assigned to Transfiguration Catholic Parish since 1926.
The first group of 8 Sisters who arrived here
first lived in a makeshift dormitory on the second
floor of the Church / School building (in the
present Library area). The Mother Superior's
quarters were across the hall (in the present
Faculty Room). The Convent on Mound Road was not
completed until 1929. By that time, the number of
Sisters assigned to this Parish had increased, and
as many as 18 of them lived there by the year
1953. The Convent contained 18 bedrooms with the
possibility of expansion in the finished attic
area.
Although most Sisters were teachers, several
served the Parish Convent in other capacities.
There was a "Cook Sister" (usually a Polish,
lay-Sister) assigned to take care of kitchen
duties. A "Refectarian Sister" was assigned to set
the tables with linens and dishes and keep the
dining room in good order.
A
"Sister Gardener" took charge of the Convent
vegetable and flower beds as well as indoor
plants. Some Sisters resided at the local Convent
while attending college classes to earn their
teaching degree.
During the earliest years, the Mother Superior
assumed the responsibility of Convent life as well
as seeing that school life ran smoothly. School
duties were simple then - usually each teacher
took care of her own classroom needs; lists,
report cards, etc. However,
as Catholic schools became more organized and
paperwork became more demanding, the Superior and
School Principal's positions were usually
separated.
Until
1964, the Principal was also a classroom teacher.
It was not until 1965 that the Principal's
responsibilities kept the position separate from
the classroom; overseeing teachers, paperwork and
office duties. In 1954, a "Lay Teacher" was hired
for Kindergarten. In 1964, the first lay teachers
were hired for the 1st and 4th grades. The number
of Sisters was now dwindling.
By 1986, there were only three Sisters assigned to
the Parish, and maintaining the large Convent
became cost prohibitive. The house on Rupert
Street which was owned by the Parish since the
1970's was renovated and became the Sisters' new
Convent.
The
old Convent on Mound Road was first sold to the
Capuchin community to be used as a house of
formation for new vocations to their community.
Later, when that program was combined with the one
in Wisconsin, the big house was again sold - this
time to Hutzel Hospital, where to this day it is
utilized as a residence for women and their young
children who are enrolled in Hutzel's 10-week
anti-addiction programs.
Presently, Sister Angelica serves as Principal,
assisted by two full-time secretaries. Sister
Bernardine is Library / Computer Room Manager.
There is a present school staff of nearly 40
employees to serve the school and preschool
programs. Please visit the
Academy Page for more information.
If you are interested in more information on the
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, please
visit www.csfn.org.
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